Smoke alarms are required on all floor levels, in all bedrooms throughout the entire house and in the hallway(s) outside of bedrooms. All smoke alarms are required to be interconnected. Existing smoke alarms are acceptable provided they are compatible with the new alarms and can be interconnected. All smoke alarms shall have a strobe light signaling component. Continue reading Smoke alarm requirements for accessory apartments

Please be advised that changes to the Development Charge By-law, including the rates, are scheduled for approval at the February 11, 2019 Council Meeting and would be effective March 2, 2019.

If approved, the new rates will apply to all building permits issued after March 1, 2019. Therefore, respecting legislated building permit turnaround times of 10 business days, residential building permit applications are required to be submitted no later than February 14, 2019 in order to be eligible to receive the current rates. Continue reading 2019 Development Charge Rates (Residential)

Please be advised that changes to the Development Charge By-law, including the rates, are scheduled for approval at the February 11, 2019 Council Meeting and would be effective March 2, 2019.

If approved, the new rates will apply to all building permits issued after March 1, 2019. Therefore, respecting legislated building permit turnaround times of 20 business days, all ICI building permit applications received after January 31, 2019 will be subject to the new rates. Continue reading 2019 Development Charge Rates (ICI)

Attention: Home Builders and Residential Contractors Please be advised of the following change for all accessory apartment building permit applications made after September 1st, 2018. This will apply to all homes, regardless of age, where the HVAC system is shared between the two units. Building Services will be requiring the installation of a duct type smoke detector in the supply or return air ducts which would turn off the fuel supply and electrical power to the HVAC system upon activation of the detector. An alternative to a duct type smoke detector is to have smoke alarms connected to a relay switch on the furnace or air handling system to shut down the circulation fan upon activation of the smoke alarms. This change is being made… Continue reading Accessory Apartments- Duct Type Smoke Detectors

Attention: Homebuilders, architects, engineers, industrial, commercial and institutional Contractors Please be advised of the following changes to bulk water meter construction and installation requirements and restrictions for residential developments (including rental apartment buildings and cluster townhouse sites) and industrial, commercial and institutional developments. The following is offered in complement to Water Services’ May 2, 2018 “Changes to Water Metering Requirements for New Developments – effective July 1, 2018” notice. The respective terms of this notice will take precedent over contents of past notices and form policy and business requirements for all applicable building permits effective immediately; Planned servicing to such properties will be required to provide sufficient space for a single bulk water revenue meter, to measure all water fed to the entire private water… Continue reading Changes to bulk City water revenue meter installation standards

Attention: Home Builder As per information conveyed previously, the City will not be arranging nor paying for the mandatory radon testing of new homes built in accordance with radon compliance option #1 this coming winter. This affects all new homes in which occupancy was granted after January 31, 2018 and approximately 16 homes which failed to deploy the testing kits last winter. As the permit holder, it will be your responsibility to ensure the radon test is conducted through a certified laboratory and submitted to the City for all homes in which radon option #1 has been chosen. In early November, we will provide a list of homes requiring mandatory testing in which occupancy was granted after January 31, 2018, as well as the homes… Continue reading Radon testing of new homes – Mandatory Testing

Attention: Sign companies In order to improve safety and facilitate improved turnaround times relating to the permanent signs, the following changes will come into effect July 1, 2018: Permits for freestanding signs over 1.8m above ground level will be required to be designed and reviewed by a professional engineer. Permits for projecting building signs (including addresses) weighing more than 25kg will be required to be designed and reviewed by a professional engineer. In addition to the “Application for a Permit to Construct”, a “Sign permit details – Permanent Signs” will also be required to be submitted with all permanent sign permit applications. For your convenience, these forms are available online together as part of a new “Permanent sign application package” at guelph.ca/signs. Permits relating to… Continue reading Changes to permanent sign program

Guelph, Ont., March 21, 2016 – The City of Guelph has charged itself for construction without a permit, resulting in a fine of $1,125 under the Ontario Building Code Act. Earlier this year, construction work began and was completed for a changeroom renovation at the West End Community Centre without first receiving a building permit. Upon learning that a permit had been applied for but not obtained, the City immediately closed the area to public access and only re-opened the area after a full final inspection was completed to the satisfaction of the Building Services department. The building permit has since been issued, final inspections are satisfactorily complete, and the building permit closed. The City, in discovering its error, has taken disciplinary action against the employees… Continue reading City fines itself for not obtaining building permit